MyHomestay.ai ("we," "our," or "us"), operated by The Indian Holidays, Kolkata, West Bengal, India, is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data responsibly. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website, use our property management software, or interact with us through any of our communication channels.

By using MyHomestay.ai or submitting information to us through our website, contact forms, email, phone, or WhatsApp, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree with this policy, please do not use our services.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide Directly

When you interact with us through our contact forms, email, phone, or WhatsApp, we collect:

Personal Identification: Full name and email address.
Phone & WhatsApp Number: Your phone number and, if different, your WhatsApp number. If you opt in to WhatsApp communication via the checkbox on our forms, we will use your WhatsApp number to contact you.
Property Information: Property name, location, number of rooms, number of properties, and estimated monthly check-ins.
Communication Preferences: Whether you consent to being contacted over WhatsApp.
Messages & Enquiries: Any information you include in the message field of our contact forms, or in emails and WhatsApp messages you send to us.

2.2 Information Collected When You Use Our Software

Account Information: Name, email address, phone number, business name, and property details when you register for our PMS.
Property Data: Room details, pricing, availability calendars, and booking information you enter into the system.
Guest Information: Guest names, contact details, ID documents (as required by Indian law for police verification), and booking preferences.
Financial Data: Bank account details for payouts, UPI IDs, GST numbers, and transaction records.
Billing Records: Invoices, GST filings, and payment history generated through the platform.

2.3 Information Collected Automatically

Usage Data: How you interact with our platform, pages visited, features used, and time spent on each page.
Device Information: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, screen resolution, and device identifiers.
Analytics Data: We use Google Analytics and Microsoft Clarity to understand usage patterns and improve our services. These tools may collect anonymised interaction data.
Cookies & Tracking: Session data, preferences, and third-party cookies. For full details, see our Cookie Policy.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information for the following purposes:

3.1 Service Delivery

Provide, operate, and maintain our property management software
Process bookings and facilitate payments
Generate reports, analytics, and AI-powered business insights
Power AI features including dynamic pricing, revenue management, and occupancy predictions

3.2 Communication

Respond to your enquiries submitted through our contact forms, email, or WhatsApp
Send booking confirmations and operational notifications via WhatsApp, SMS, and email
Contact you over WhatsApp if you have opted in via the checkbox on our forms
Provide customer support and technical assistance
Send important service updates, security alerts, and policy changes

3.3 Improvement & Compliance

Improve our platform, develop new features, and enhance user experience
Analyse usage patterns to optimise performance
Comply with legal obligations including GST reporting, police verification requirements, and tax laws
Prevent fraud, abuse, and unauthorised access

4. Our Communication Channels

We communicate with you through the following channels:

Email: Our primary business email is myhomestayiohq@gmail.com. We use email for enquiry responses, service updates, and support.
WhatsApp: We use WhatsApp for quick queries and customer communication. We will only contact you over WhatsApp if you have provided your WhatsApp number and opted in via our contact form. WhatsApp messages are subject to WhatsApp's own privacy policy.
Phone: We may contact you by phone if you have provided your phone number and your enquiry requires a direct conversation.
Contact Forms: Our website contact forms (on the Contact and Pricing pages) collect your information and submit it securely via Web3Forms, a third-party form processing service.

5. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We may share your information with the following parties:

Form Processing: Web3Forms (web3forms.com) processes form submissions from our website. Your form data is transmitted securely to their servers to deliver the submission to us.
Analytics Providers: Google Analytics and Microsoft Clarity receive anonymised usage and interaction data to help us understand how our website is used.
Cloud Infrastructure: Our platform is hosted on Cloudflare's global network. Your data may be processed on Cloudflare's servers.
Payment Processors: When you use our PMS, payment data is handled by authorised payment gateways (e.g. Razorpay, UPI providers) and is not stored on our servers.
Legal Requirements: Government authorities when required by Indian law, including police verification of guests under applicable regulations.
Business Transfers: In connection with any merger, acquisition, restructuring, or sale of assets, your data may be transferred as part of that transaction.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing or advertising purposes.

6. Data Security

We take the security of your data seriously and implement appropriate technical and organisational measures:

All data transmitted between your browser and our servers is encrypted using TLS/SSL
Data at rest is encrypted using industry-standard encryption
Access to personal data is restricted to authorised personnel only
We conduct regular security reviews and vulnerability assessments
Our infrastructure is hosted on Cloudflare with enterprise-grade security, DDoS protection, and a global CDN
Form submissions are processed over HTTPS via secure third-party services

While we strive to protect your data, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security but are committed to following best practices.

7. Data Retention

Enquiry Data: Information submitted through our contact forms is retained for as long as necessary to respond to your enquiry and for a reasonable period thereafter for follow-up.
Account Data: Retained for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide services.
Financial & Booking Records: Retained as required by Indian tax laws and GST regulations (typically 7 years).
Guest Records: Retained as required by applicable Indian regulations for police verification and tourism reporting.
Analytics Data: Anonymised analytics data may be retained indefinitely for trend analysis.

You may request deletion of your account and associated personal data at any time, subject to our legal retention obligations.

8. Your Rights

Under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act) and other applicable Indian laws, you have the right to:

Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data, subject to legal retention requirements.
Portability: Request your data in a commonly used, machine-readable format.
Withdraw Consent: Withdraw your consent for optional data processing (e.g. WhatsApp communication) at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.
Grievance Redressal: Lodge a complaint regarding data processing practices.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided in Section 12 below.

9. Third-Party Services

Our website and platform integrate with the following third-party services, each governed by their own privacy policies:

Web3Forms — Form submission processing (Privacy Policy)
Google Analytics — Website analytics (Privacy Policy)
Microsoft Clarity — User behaviour analytics (Privacy Policy)
Cloudflare — Hosting and CDN (Privacy Policy)
WhatsApp (Meta) — Messaging (Privacy Policy)

We encourage you to review the privacy policies of these services to understand how they handle your data.

10. Children's Privacy

Our services are designed for business use and are not intended for individuals under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we become aware that we have collected data from a person under 18, we will take steps to delete that information promptly.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes, we will:

Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page
Notify registered users via email for significant changes
Post a notice on our website if the changes affect how we handle personal data

We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy, your personal data, or our data practices, please contact us through any of the following channels:

Contact Form: myhomestay.ai/contact
Email: myhomestayiohq@gmail.com
WhatsApp: +91 90 5439 5439
Registered Address: The Indian Holidays, 1st Floor, 300 B B Gangully Street, Kolkata - 700012, West Bengal, India

We aim to respond to all privacy-related enquiries within 7 business days.

Privacy Policy: How We Protect Your Data

1. Introduction